Customer expectations are higher than ever these days, so when the power or internet service goes out, they want a quick fix.
While losing power is inconvenient to most, it could be a life-threatening situation for those who need electricity to run life-sustaining medical equipment. If there’s a gas leak, help is needed right away. No matter the circumstances, dispatchers want to provide assistance to customers immediately. Field service companies also deal with systems, machinery, and materials that can be dangerous for the untrained customer to handle.
Fortunately for resource-strapped field service companies, EnSight Plus can help. We provide a robust cloud-based software suite that can ease the burden involved with emergency response scenarios. Here are four ways our platform can help your team safely and efficiently navigate these situations.
For many field service management businesses, time is at a premium and is the company’s most valuable commodity. Regardless of the size of an organization and the number of employees, extra time is a nice benefit. But in an emergency, it’s crucial. In the old days, dispatchers and schedulers would run ragged writing notes and work orders by hand, printing directions for technicians and photocopying invoices.
The EnSight Plujus platform simplifies the process with seamless digital automation. Your team can schedule and confirm new jobs while the customer is still on the phone, submit work orders through the system, and push work orders to the assigned tech via an alert. And when a job is complete, it delivers invoices via email. What does that mean for your dispatchers? It means they have more time to be ready and available when a customer calls with an emergency.
This is especially important for utility companies. Because our cloud-based software is mobile-friendly and includes GPS tracking, dispatchers can see the location of every field tech who is on the job. EnSight Plus’s system allows them to view those locations, showing which techs are closest to the emergency and determining the best fit based on each tech’s ability and skill set.
If there’s a call that a customer has a gas leak, a dispatcher could quickly find the technician who can get there the fastest and alert that person via mobile device with the pertinent details. Our route-planning module will also give the tech the most efficient turn-by-turn directions to avoid delays. As a best practice, schedulers should also look at techs’ routes at the start of each day so they have an idea of where each one is working and better prepare for rerouting and schedule changes.
Helping dispatchers find the nearest technician and supplying that tech with the most direct route is useless if the truck breaks down on the way there. Field service businesses are notoriously hard on their fleet vehicles, so it’s common for these cars, trucks, and vans to falter from time to time. But the easiest (and least expensive) way to minimize those disruptions is by prioritizing preventive maintenance. EnSight+ has a preventive maintenance module that makes emergency services fleet management a breeze.
Our software can add critical maintenance dates for all vehicles, like the last time the oil was changed or the battery was replaced. And it’s equipped to send alerts when it’s time for the next round of maintenance. Customers can set up automatic scheduling so field techs ensure the job gets done. If one of your customers is having an emergency, do you want to tell him you were late because your truck broke down? Try creating a comprehensive fleet maintenance checklist, and make sure each vehicle is up-to-date with proper documentation.
So we got help to the customer’s emergency as fast as possible, but what happens when the tech arrives? Most service businesses specialize in a particular type of work, which means there are tools and materials that field techs use frequently. EnSight Plus can ensure they show up to the job with the right tools and materials with our inventory module.
We help businesses and utilities catalog their most valuable assets, which allows field techs to make sure their vehicles are fully stocked before leaving for the day. Similar to the alerts you can create with preventive maintenance, you can also create alerts to tell you when it’s time to reorder these supplies. No one knows the tools of the trade better than your techs. Consider holding a brainstorm session in which you collaboratively identify the most critical assets that each vehicle should have.
When an emergency strikes, you want your company to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible. It’s time to improve the tools for your business and utility by employing software. Streamline processes and save time for your employees! Reach out to EnSight Plus to book a demo and learn more about how we can help.
All monitored by you, in real time. Are you ready to take control?